On March 29, the sanctioned Russia-flagged vessel Sv. Nikolay quietly docked at the Algerian port of Anaba near the coal terminal, waiting to be unloaded. The metallurgical coke the ship was carrying — a key ingredient in steelmaking produced from coal — had been stolen. The Kyiv Independent traced the vessel’s
"It has been agreed that the document does not count the assistance provided before its signing," Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on April 27, following talks on the minerals deal in Washington.
"Ukraine, headed by (President) Volodymyr Zelensky, has not signed the final papers on the very important rare earths deal with the United States. It is at least three weeks late," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
According to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, the parties also discussed "important political aspects" of the long-debated future minerals deal between Kyiv and Washington.
The following is the April 22, 2025 edition of our Ukraine Business Roundup weekly newsletter. To get the biggest news in business and tech from Ukraine directly in your inbox, subscribe here. As a U.S.-proposed deal for Ukraine’s natural resources stalled amid months of tense negotiations, some
Standing beside a sleepy village in Ukraine’s central Kirovohrad Oblast, the Zavalivskiy mine lies beneath layers of brown and pink earth, holding some 7.5 million metric tons of graphite ore — the second largest flake graphite mine in Europe. Like many mining companies in Ukraine, Zavalivskiy Graphite has lost
"We are now working in parallel with our and American legal teams and are trying to remove many technical issues to narrow them down to the most sensitive ones that will require a political decision," Deputy Economy Minister and Trade Representative Taras Kachka said.
The Ukrainian government on April 18 published the text of a recently signed memorandum outlining a pending minerals agreement with the United States.
"It is important that we reaffirm through our agreements the desire of the American people to invest together with the Ukrainian people in a free, sovereign, and secure Ukraine," Deputy Prime Minister and Economic Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said.
"We have a minerals deal, which I guess is going to be signed on Thursday, next Thursday," U.S. President Donald Trump said on April 17.
The following is the April 16, 2025 edition of our Ukraine Business Roundup weekly newsletter. To get the biggest news in business and tech from Ukraine directly in your inbox, subscribe here. If you’re getting tired of the constant back and forth of the minerals deal, so am I,
The American and Russian delegations that just met in Istanbul had made it clear that they were there to discuss the normalization of their diplomatic missions’ work, not the war in Ukraine. But such engagement is a clear corollary to U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to negotiate an
"We have now agreed with the U.S. side to affirm this positive development by a relevant memorandum of intent — we are preparing a formal conclusion of the deal in the near future," Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said.
The Trump administration has reportedly lowered the payback it seeks under a minerals agreement with Ukraine from $300 billion to $100 billion.
"When the teams are ready, they will present what they have worked out. So far, both sides have ended the meetings in a positive mood," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna declined to disclose specific details, noting that negotiations are ongoing and "this is not the final round."
Describing the Trump administration's expansive proposal as "maximalist," the source told Reuters that it was unlikely a new round of technical talks will lead to a breakthrough in negotiations.
Ukraine's Justice Ministry has hired the U.S. firm Hogan Lovells for assistance in negotiating a critical minerals deal, according to public records. Sources also told Reuters that talks on the deal had become "antagonistic."
The following is the April 9, 2025 edition of our Ukraine Business Roundup weekly newsletter. To get the biggest news in business and tech from Ukraine directly in your inbox, subscribe here. President Trump shocked the world on April 2 when he announced what he dubbed “Liberation Day,” slapping tariffs
Ukraine will begin technical consultations with the U.S. on the minerals agreement on April 11, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Justice Minister Olha Stefanishyna said, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine on April 10.
The president stressed that Ukraine is ready to contribute its land and resources, but expects the U.S. to bring in technologies and capital.
The minerals deal should be mutually beneficial, meet the interests of both countries without putting at risk Ukraine's accession to the EU, Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
Eleven years ago, Russia seized Ukrainian territory by force. Three years ago, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today, Ukraine faces a new threat to its sovereignty: U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand that the country hand over a significant amount of its mineral wealth or face the
The prolonged negotiations over a minerals deal, which have already tested relations between Kyiv and Washington, follow an effort to finalize a framework agreement earlier this year.
"It's a genuine economic partnership... we don't make any money unless they make money, and you know who doesn't like that? People with their hand in the till," U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent claimed in an interview released on April 4.
The measures include the use of polygraph tests on those with access to the deal across several government ministries.
Andrii Sybiha said the minerals deal "cannot contradict European integration, we are telling the Americans that."
The following is the April 1, 2025 edition of our Ukraine Business Roundup weekly newsletter. To get the biggest news in business and tech from Ukraine directly in your inbox, subscribe here. Washington proudly announced on March 25 that it had brokered an agreement between Russia and Ukraine to "eliminate
Scott Bessent said Kyiv has hired counsel and that the deal is "ready on our side."
The ongoing saga of the U.S.-Ukraine natural resources deal has already caused seismic ruptures between Kyiv and Washington, temporarily costing Ukraine American military support and crucial intelligence sharing. Yet in the quest to placate U.S. President Donald Trump, and secure his support in the fight against Russia's
If you thought the United States’ first minerals deal with Ukraine was bad, the new version reads even worse. This one makes the previous deal look like charity by comparison. Check out the Financial Times piece and the link to the leaked document. Some might call it extortion; others might
"As for this agreement and the NATO question, there is no mention of NATO in this agreement, and there never was," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on April 1.
(Updated: )
